This invention relates generally to aroma dispensers, and in particular to an aroma-dispensing cartridge and holder assembly attachable to an air vent in the interior of an automobile, the assembly when in the active state functioning to diffuse an aromatic vapor into the forced air stream emitted into the interior.
As used herein, the term "aroma" is not limited to pleasant or savory smells but encompasses scents that function as insecticides, air fresheners, deodorants or any other odor that acts to condition, modify or otherwise charge the atmosphere.
The aroma of perfumes and perfume-based products such as colognes and toilet waters was originally derived from the essential oils of plants. However, since the early 19th century, chemists have succeeded in analyzing many essential oils and in creating thousands of synthetics, some simulating natural products and others yielding altogether new scents. Perfumes today are largely blends of natural and synthetic scents and of fixatives which equalize vaporization and enhance pungency. In most liquid scents, the ingredients are combined with alcohol.
Various types of spray devices or dispensers are known for emitting aromas. Thus the patent to Dearling, U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,481, discloses a dispenser for wafting into the atmosphere an insecticide, a pleasant smelling scent or any other aromas, this being accomplished by means of a pressurized container. When the actuating button of this container is pressed, a dispersant is released onto an absorbent material, the absorbent dispersant permeating the atmosphere.
Similarly, the Sekiguchi et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,133 discloses a perfume dispenser which includes a sponge-like head that receives and exudes a charge of perfume. In the spray aerosol can disclosed in the Harrison U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,473, an absorptive ring is impregnated with an air-freshening fragrance and released into the atmosphere. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,191,821; 3,410,488 and 3,441,353 are along similar lines, for they show wicks and other absorptive materials to accept and emit a perfume or other odoriferous liquid.
While the prior art discloses various embodiments of aroma dispensers, none of these devices is particularly adopted for use in an automotive interior, an environment having special requirements. The atmosphere in most automobiles is somewhat unpleasant, for it is often permeated by exhaust and engine fumes, by odors emanating from the road, and in many cases by tobacco smoke. Hence it becomes desirable to mask or supplant these odors by more agreeable scents.
While a perfume odor may be desirable in a vehicle, since personal tastes differ and the choice of perfume may also depend on other variables, the availability of an aroma dispenser providing a single scent falls short of what is required. Moreover, in some instances the aroma called for is not a perfume but a scent acting as a stimulant to keep the driver awake under driving conditions that may be soporific. Thus the type of pleasing scent that may be appropriate for a morning drive is usually not the same as that suitable for dusk; whereas when driving late at night, what then may be desirable is an odor, which, though perhaps unpleasant, functions to stimulate and awaken rather than relax the driver.
In my prior Pat. No. 4,200,229, there is disclosed an aroma-dispenser mountable under the dashboard of an automobile and taking the form of a replaceable cartridge receivable in a stationary holder so that the user can insert therein whichever cartridge gives off an aroma suitable for a given occasion or satisfying a personal preference. The cartridge, in this instance, includes a bottle containing a liquid scent and a hand-operated suction pump which when actuated serves to spray a liquid scent into the car interior.
An aroma-dispensing assembly of the type disclosed in my prior patent is intermittently effective, for the aromatic liquid is sprayed into the interior only when the pump is actuated, and the duration of the aroma within the interior depends on the lasting power of the particular fragrance used and the degree to which the interior is ventilated. Thus if the car is provided with a forced air circulating ventilation system and this system is in operation, it will function to clear the air of the aroma.